# Whiskey by the dram.....



## tmmedic20 (Oct 30, 2011)

So I keep hearing everyone talking about all these wonderful sounding beverages, but i cant afford to go out and buy expensive bottles of scotch/whiskey/bourbon etc etc. My solution to this problems was this site....

Drinks by the Dram Samples - Master of Malt - Master of Malt

Let me know if you guys have any other sample sites, I love trying new things when its budget friendly.


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## HWiebe (Jul 13, 2010)

Awesome site Thomas. Thanks for sharing!


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## Cigar Noob (May 22, 2011)

Those samples look pricy, and shipping from England may be steep as well.

I would hit up an Irish bar if you are looking for Irish Whiskey or Scotch. Try a few different ones each time you go. Hopefully they have a little book with all the offerings and the tasting notes and a bartender that is good at making suggestions. The less fancy the better, should have better prices. Chat him/her up and see what is most popular or let them know what flavors you like, or other drinks you like and see what they say. 

My girlfriend and I did this when we first got into scotch and it was awesome. We each got a different one and got two or three rounds so we were trying 4-6 different whiskies each time we went. After 2 or 3 trips and you have a good sampling and an idea where to start going. You'll also see how the prices line up. 

We ordered it neat, with a side of ice. You can adjust the ice level to your preference that way.


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## E Dogg (Mar 23, 2011)

That site is awesome! Too bad it's not over here, cause like noob said, shipping is what kills it. I would love to buy a bunch of samples like that as I don't want to fork out the $ for a whole bottle without trying either. As far as going to a bar/pub. I will look into that, but something tells me I won't find one with a huge selection of aged scotch's around here without going to LA or something...Good find nontheless


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## HugSeal (Dec 5, 2011)

Scotch "boxsplit coming up? Everyone buys one bottle and then sends out samples to the others


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## tmmedic20 (Oct 30, 2011)

Yup the bar thing is always a great idea, but i dont enjoy going out to bars, just not my thing... So the samples are perfect for me, shipping is a bit steep, as its 20US for about 10 drams, but considering the markup at bars I figure its offset  

If anyone can find a US based site that does samples like this please let me know, ive googled it to death and cant find a single one


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## RyzFenix (Dec 18, 2011)

Cigar Noob said:


> Those samples look pricy, and shipping from England may be steep as well.
> 
> I would hit up an Irish bar if you are looking for Irish Whiskey or Scotch. Try a few different ones each time you go. Hopefully they have a little book with all the offerings and the tasting notes and a bartender that is good at making suggestions. The less fancy the better, should have better prices. Chat him/her up and see what is most popular or let them know what flavors you like, or other drinks you like and see what they say.
> 
> ...


Depending where you are, there maybe some other options. I know there is a local bar here that does Scotch Flights and there was a liquor store that did Scotch tastings or Scotch 101 classes. Maybe something like that would be an option.


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## Cigar Noob (May 22, 2011)

taking a quick glance at the prices I'd say you can get a better price at a pub, and that is without factoring in the $20 for shipping. I have anyway. You should be able to get a majority of sing malts for $8-12 a drink and my hunch is the portion would be larger at the pub too.

The Arberlour A'bunadh sampler is $14 (more than 1/4 the cost of a whole bottle, $50), without factoring in shipping. I'll bet it is $9-11 a drink at a pub. At a pub you also aren't limited to what is made in miniatures, a much larger variety is out there. You'll have a few bucks to spare for some bar food as well.



RyzFenix said:


> Depending where you are, there maybe some other options. I know there is a local bar here that does Scotch Flights and there was a liquor store that did Scotch tastings or Scotch 101 classes. Maybe something like that would be an option.


This looks like another great option.


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## olotti (Jan 20, 2006)

My suggestion as I have done on the whiskey front is to buy 1/2 pints now granted the selection is limited but I've been able to try KNob Creek, Wild Turkey 101 and Gentleman Jack so far and I know Makers Mark makes a 1/2 pint but the other brands like Elijah Craig 12yo or Buffalo Trace or some of the higher up bottles don't make half pints but atleast getting in with these little guys may give you a sense of where your palate lies.


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## MastaMoMo (Jan 25, 2012)

I see small bottles all the time at ABC liquors in the southeast, and I remember seeing them in a small liquor store in coloradow as well. You can usually get some nice stuff. Obscure whiskey might be harder.


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## Ducrider (Feb 4, 2010)

I did a split with buddies before -- which was a great way to try lots of different stuff. We found these little glass bottles at a food supply store that were about 4x the size of a liquor mini bottle. We each bought a different bottle of Scotch and then got together for a small tasting and split up what was left. I went home with about 1/4 left in the bottle I brought and 4 other small samplers of what everyone else brought.


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## ajk170 (Feb 17, 2010)

Doing a split wth people isn't a bad idea- a glitch comes in if the people are not in the same area and a person does it through mail. I know in VA it is (apparently) illegal to ship (import) any distilled spirit into the state. Wine and beer mail orders are somewhat exempt if the shipper has a specific license to ship. But it appears that license isn't the dame for distilled spirits. Ive been trying order certain spirits that I can't get in VA to no avail- I have to get them when I go out of the state! So I'm not sure how the split idea would "legally" work if you're not in the same area. Something to consider...


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## lostdog13 (Jan 16, 2012)

tmmedic20 said:


> Yup the bar thing is always a great idea, but i dont enjoy going out to bars, just not my thing... So the samples are perfect for me, shipping is a bit steep, as its 20US for about 10 drams, but considering the markup at bars I figure its offset
> 
> If anyone can find a US based site that does samples like this please let me know, ive googled it to death and cant find a single one


Thomas, see if there is an Irish or Scottish Pub in your area. (Anyone in the Savannah area Molly MacPherson's is a great Scottish Pub) These would be the best places to go, and usually have a Scotch or Whisky sampler arranged by category/price. So you can try the more expensive ones if you want, or ones that would be more in your price range if you are looking to find something you would actually consume regularly.


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